St
Glykeria

Memory celebrated May 13

by Fr George Poulos

The Roman Empire extended its authority over the entire
Mediterranean world in the second century. It was
administered by men who looked down at the general public,
but who looked up to statues of their many idols. The early
Christians, who were forced to worship in secret, must have
felt mixed emotions of piety and disdain for the high
officials who humbled themselves before useless forms carved
out of granite or stone.

One sweet Christian soul who challenged the mighty at the
expense of her life was a girl called Glykeria, whose very
name translates to "sweetness" and who exhibited a purity of
heart not usually put on display by others, equally as
devout but much more cautious in expressing their true
feelings.

Glykeria was not a face in the crowd who summoned the
courage to step forward, as one might suppose. Surprisingly
enough she was the daughter of a Roman official of
senatorial rank and, therefore, an aristocrat who rubbed
elbows with those in power. In her circle of friends there
was not the slightest suspicion that this well-placed
daughter of Roman society was actually a Christian convert
who loved the Messiah with all her heart and who slipped off
unnoticed when it came time to mingle with her real friends
to worship Jesus Christ.

Out of respect for her parents, St. Glykeria kept her
devout Christianity a well-guarded secret, even at times
when her presence was required for festivities involving the
false gods. It was a matter of time, however, as to how long
she could maintain this dual personality without revealing
herself, or take the safer course in escaping the loathsome
idolatry to find a haven among Christians.

Her love for her parents and respect for their wishes
finally placed her in an uncompromising position when she
dutifully accompanied them to a pagan ceremony but was
compelled to look away in agony, no longer able to abide an
unholy scene that was driving her to distraction and
torturing her Christian conscience. The scene was a high
pagan holiday being observed in her home city of
Trajianopolis on the Adriatic Coast. It was being held in
the largest temple of the area, and at the special
invitation of a man called Sabinius who was the province
prefect.

It was hardly the setting for a Christian girl to assert
herself, but when her anguish had been noted, her father
asked if she were ill, to which she replied that she was
indeed ill, sickened by the sight of supposedly noble Romans
prostrating themselves before bits of stone. Stripping
herself of the cloak of hypocrisy she had been forced to
wear, Glykeria approached the feared Sabinius who was
leading the ceremony of prostration and asked him in a
scornful tone:

"Why does the noble Prefect prostrate himself
before a slab of cold marble which has no power nor a
saving grace to benefit anyone?"

Thinking her either demented or drunk, the Prefect
gestured for her to leave him to his ministrations.
Undaunted, Glykeria stepped in front of the idol, and with
arms outstretched she proclaimed the omnipotence of God and
prayed in the name of Jesus Christ that his power be shown
to these.misguided Romans. While the stunned pagans looked
on in disbelief, she repeated her prayer, and at that
instant the earth trembled with such violence that the
statue of Zeus toppled onto the quaking temple floor to be
shattered to bits.

The only calm person in this thoroughly confused crowd
was Glykeria who cried out,

"Is this the hope of all Romans? Let it be known
that the hope for Romans and all mankind is Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God, who for our salvation was
crucified on the cross in Jerusalem and whose blood shall
redeem us all. Our strength is in him, not in this pile
of rubble."

When Sabinius recovered from the shock, his pagan-trained
mind prevailing over what could have saved his soul, he
screamed that the daughter of a Roman senator had turned
into a sorceress and had defiled the ancient pagan beliefs.
He lost no time in having her executed.

St. Glykeria gave her life for Christ on 13 May 177 AD at
the age of twenty-one. From her burial site emanated a sweet
aroma, indicating her saintliness which has been honored by
emperors such as Maurice in 591 and Heraklios in 610 AD.